Electric motors are becoming increasingly sophisticated and modern designs are capable of ever higher rotational speeds. One such design of electric motor is a brushless DC motor as used by the applicant in its range of handheld vacuum cleaners and which is capable of being driven at rotational speeds in the region of 100 Krpm.
The use of high speed motors in fluid-moving applications such as vacuum cleaners, fans and hair care appliances is technically attractive since a fan unit equipped with a physically small motor can nonetheless produce very high fluid flow rates.
However, particularly in the case of hand held appliances, the motor can form a significant part of the weight of the appliance and if that appliance is dropped the motor must be protected from damage and dislocation from its' housing.